Randy Travis remains under heavy sedation, in critical condition

Randy Travis remains under heavy sedation, in critical condition

Country singer Randy Travis remained under heavy sedation and in critical condition Friday, two days after surgery relieved pressure on his brain after a stroke, his publicist said.

“His family continues to ask for prayers and support,” publicist Kirt Webster said in a statement.

His stroke was “a complication of his congestive heart failure” for which he is being treated at The Heart Hospital at Baylor Plano in Texas, Webster said.

The singer was initially hospitalized Sunday at Baylor Medical Center at McKinney, Texas, with a presumptive cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure.

Travis, 54, was transferred to The Heart Hospital at Baylor Plano in Texas on Monday.

Travis’ illness is related to his “recently acquired viral cardiomyopathy,” one of his doctors said. Viral cardiomyopathy is a disorder where a virus attacks the muscles of the heart, causing the heart to beat slower, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website. In some cases, the heart can stop, it said.

Travis had a tough year in 2012 with arrests for assault and public intoxication, which earned him probation.

Travis was at the forefront of the “New Traditionalist” movement in the 1980s and 1990s, but he faded as the ’90s wore on. He made a comeback after turning to gospel music in 1999. His song “Three Wooden Crosses” won song of the year in 2003 from both the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.